Storm Dave is forecast to batter the UK this Easter weekend, and a meterologist has warned “there will be casualties” if the public don’t take the weather warnings seriously
Storm Dave will bring 90mph winds to the UK this weekend, with potentially deadly consequences, the public have been warned.
The low-pressure system was named by the Met Office yesterday, and is the fourth named storm of the season. It was forecast to reach the UK on Saturday late afternoon, with the most severe weather into the night.
An area of low pressure was expected to rapidly deepen, bringing very strong winds to northern regions. Heavy rain and blizzard conditions were also forecast for the Scottish Highlands.
The public was urged to avoid going hiking in the north on Saturday, as well as steering clear of beaches and coastlines. Storm Dave would have enough strength to prove deadly if people weren’t taking it seriously, warned a weather expert.
READ MORE: Storm Dave snow forecast as Brits urged to prepare nine items for SaturdayREAD MORE: Storm Dave weather warning as Met Office tells Brits in 59 areas to ‘pack essentials’
British Weather Services’ senior meteorologist Jim Dale told the Mirror: “There will be casualties if people take the weather for granted, which is what they do. We’ve been there before. Some holidays, like the Easter holidays, you always get somebody who, for one reason or another, is in the wrong place at the wrong time, so mountain rescue and the RNLI might have their work cut out.”
The Met Office issued three Yellow severe weather warnings Saturday night. Wind warnings covered the whole of Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales, and some parts of northern England. There was also a Yellow warning for snow in northwest Scotland, running from 3pm on Saturday until 3am on Sunday morning.
Dave would likely only be felt in the north of the UK, added Mr Dale. At its very peak, some regions could see wind gusts of up to 90mph, he said.
“It’s a northern event, it’s not a southern event at all,” he told the Mirror. “The real brunt of it will be in the West and North Scotland.
“The low pressure area, Storm Dave, will come over the western side of Ireland, over the top of Northern Ireland, into western Scotland and out through the doors of northeast Scotland towards the Shetlands, all by the time he gets to Sunday morning.
“It’ll bring, at a peak anyway, 80 to 90mph gusts to North and West Scotland, and 60 to 70mph across most of Scotland. Coming south, into Northern Ireland and Northern England, I would expect 50 to 55mph gusts at times. Then as you go further south, only about 40mph in the Midlands.
“Now it isn’t just the wind, because with that will come driving rain and blizzard conditions for the higher hills and mountains of Scotland.
“The reason I mention this more than anything is because people are out and about. They will be climbing places like Glencoe and Ben Nevis. Setting off early on Saturday morning, on these hills and mountains, or taking a boat out into the sea, they’re gonna get caught out. It’s as simple as that.”
Mr Dale warned that Dave would intensify quickly, in a meteorological process known as cyclogenesis.
“What that will do is essentially bring those winds that I talk about – the driving rain and the blizzard conditions – to those areas. Of course at Easter time there’s more people in those areas than there would be otherwise, so that’s why it’s important.”
Travel was expected to be disrupted for one of the busiest weekends of the year, owing to the extremely strong winds and snowy conditions. The RAC urged drivers to take extra care on motorways, as well as on higher ground.
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “The arrival of Storm Dave is set to make driving conditions across the north and west of the UK this Easter particularly challenging. While we expect leisure traffic volumes to be slightly lower on Saturday and Sunday compared with the rest of the bank holiday, there will still be millions of people on the roads visiting friends and family.
“Drivers shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the very strong winds that are forecast. We recommend taking extra care on exposed, higher routes and being especially cautious when overtaking high‑sided vehicles, as the buffeting effect can catch some people out. Slowing down and keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel are both vital in these conditions.”
